Saga of towns
This is with reference to the insightful and thought-provoking editorial ‘Strengthening towns’ (NT, September 16, 2025). Over the years, we have been witnessing how people, mostly men from interior villages, have been migrating to nearby cities in the search of employment. We need to stop this migration by generating employment opportunities, providing basic facilities like medical care, and infrastructure in villages. Turning larger villages into towns may be good but if that destroys the ecosystem, the environment in the region by turning them into concrete jungles, then we are moving down the road to disaster!
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Appreciable move
The support of the St Francis Xavier church in Borim with regards to women empowerment needs to be appreciated. The parish-backed self-help group has brought together 20 homemakers in order to turn their cooking into a collective business that has steadily grown over the past six months. What started as two small stalls outside the church premise has now rolled on wheels, quite literally, as the women were gifted two handcarts by parish priest Fr Victor Ferrao. A society cannot truly advance if women are not empowered and if their potential is not fully realised. True women empowerment benefits not only women and their families by giving financial independence, but also contributes to the prosperity of society. It needs to be noted that women often cannot afford to take up stalls and shops on rent. Hence this initiative by the Borim church assumes significance. It is important for the church to look after the basic needs of the parishioners besides preaching the word of God. Hopefully this model will be followed by other parishes in the state as well.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Fortify students
A strong nation is built on the foundation of healthy and resilient youth. In this context, it is essential that primary and secondary school students receive appropriate nutritional supplements. These supplements can play a vital role in preventing disease by ensuring the daily intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids necessary for the formation of enzymes and vital secretions that support healthy bodily functions. To ensure the effectiveness of such a programme, schools should consider consulting a reputed clinical nutritionist to design and oversee the nutritional needs of students. Additionally, funding for the large-scale procurement of supplements could be sought from profit-making companies and financial institutions as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. Investing in the health of our students today lays the foundation for a healthier, stronger nation tomorrow — something every doctor would advocate. But recommendations alone are not enough.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
Despicable gun culture
The killing of high-profile conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a college campus in the US may well serve as an inflexion point for a country troubled by deeply polarising and hate-filled rhetoric in an entrenched gun culture. Kirk was responding to a question by a student about gun violence when a bullet hit him fatally in the neck. His killing also highlights how political violence is now a feature of US life. Gun control has been a topic of intense national debate in the US for decades. The US has one of the highest civilian gun ownership rates in the world, with more firearms than people. Since the assassination of president John F Kennedy in 1963, there have been numerous calls for stricter gun laws. However, little has been done to address the root causes of gun violence. Before Kirk, US President Donald Trump faced two assassination attempts last year. Incidentally, India is also experiencing cases of gun culture where guns and crude bombs settle disputes.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Immunity from laws
The central government has been unable to serve a warrant on one of India’s leading businessmen even though eight months have elapsed since a US court issued a warrant against him in a bribery case. According to news reports, the subpoena could not be served as the businessman was unavailable. Subsequently the US Department of Justice sent a request under the Hague Convention that government of India serve the warrant on the billionaire. The Union law ministry has been unable to uphold international law because it is alleged that the businessman is politically well connected. It appears that laws are only meant for the poor and the common man.
Rekha Sarin Trehan, Benaulim
Challenges before AIADMK
If AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswamy is keen to save Tamil Nadu from the grip of one family rule, then he must help resolve the tiffs among his party members and also rethink about bringing back O Pannerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran. He should also ensure that his present allies – Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and Pattali Makkal Katchi – stay with him to take on the family rule. It is time to forget the ego clash and fight unitedly.
Capt N Viswanathan, Coimbatore
